The Norkinian Empire

Prehistory
Norkinia is an ancient nation. Steeped in a historical record of centuries of conflict and struggle, the Norkinians developed themselves to be a strong, adaptable and versatile people.

The Survivors
The first people to ever call themselves Norkinians are known as "Survivors". Decedents of those who survived The Great Catastrophe but were unable to flee to Argonia in the First Age of Civilisation as the world broke apart. These survivors faced extreme hardship at the hands of a rapidly changing planet; volcanic activity, shifting tectonic plates, unpredictable and ever-changing weather and seasons causing droughts and famines that would often spill over into bloody and violent conflicts. In those hard times much of their ancient history before The Great Catastrophe was lost, including much of their original language. As particular groups and societies began to form on the new Norkinian continent, distinct dialects would eventually form new languages that were unheard of outside of these isolated communities. As centuries turned millennium and the planet began to heal the wounds of The Great Catastrophe civilisation began for the first time after The Great Catastrophe and outside of Norkinia. These small cultural groups that the Survivors had founded were now a collection of small clans scattered across the land, the most powerful of which was Nuokaenia.

The Dawn of Nuokaenia
The Nuokaenians were a militaristic culture group in the North-West of Norkinia, close to the modern day city of Hasteinsvoll. They were the first civilisation on the continent to use metal weaponry such as swords, axes and spears while also being the first to employ the use of shields. Through their use of superior warfare technologies and tactics, the Nuokaenians were quickly able to conquer the neighbouring clans. Bolstering their forces further and spreading their influence and culture further across the continent. Within 150 years all of North-Western Norkinia was under the direct control of the Nuokaenians with other surrounding clans pledging their allegiance and support to the Nuokaenians. Peace would continue for almost a century until a rival clan in the South, the Suoakeniks, began to challenge the power of the Nuokaenians. Small skirmishes would eventually escalate into the first true war on the Norkinian continent. The War of the Clans.

The War of the Clans
The War of the Clans is legendary within Norkinian folklore, the first battle of the war was fought in what is now known as Hasteindrokon. The battle lasted for less than an hour according to legend but it is presumed thousands of men died at the battle due to skeletal remains of these ancient warriors still frequently being dug up in modern times, alongside their ancient equipment, armour and weaponry. From what can be gathered from ancient folklore, there were only a limited amount of battles fought during the war. However, even without many battles, the majority of the Suoakenik civilisation was completely wiped out by the Nuokaenians with what remained of their people being assimilated into their new Nuokaenian Overlords. By the end of The War of the Clans the Nuokaenians had almost complete control of Norkinia, spare some small remote clans in the Far-North and mountainous regions.

The Drunathein Arrive
Dating back roughly 350 years after The War of the Clans, the first records of refugees from The Kingdom of Argonia arriving within Norkinia began. These new settlers called themselves Drunathein. The Drunathein were a class of fair-skinned warriors that made up much of Argonia's Elite Legionaries. Following The Destruction of Argonia, the Drunathein sailed across the world to find a new home for themselves and their families. While some settled in Northern Kallonia, Aungmar and Aeloen, the majority made their way to Norkinia where they settled across the western coastline. Compared with the townships of the Nuokaenians, the Drunathein settlements were an incredible feat of engineering and civilisation. Huge stone walls, large ports able to facilitate many ships, as well as advanced agricultural and architectural practices that were unfounded outside of the settlements. The settlements would continue to flourish for over a century with some small conflicts between the Nuokaenians and the Drunathein occurring in areas outside of the Drunathein settlements, that was until the war.

The Nuokaenian-Drunathein War
The Drunathein capital city, Hallesoll (now the city of Hasteinsvoll), would be the first major victim in a ruthless and bloody war between the Nuokaenians and the Drunathein. After years of fighting for survival of both their race and culture against the foreign settlers, the Nuokaenians rallied the remaining Norkinian clans together under the banner of the new Kingdom of Nuokaenia against the Drunathein settlers. An army comprised of over 250,000 men rallied to the South-East of Hallesoll and prepared to besiege the huge walled city. Once thought to be an impossible feat due to the Drunathein's superior technology and unbreakable walls, the Nuokaenians had learnt the ancient secrets of siege warfare and had now constructed catapults, trebuchets, ballistae, battering rams, siege towers and other such siege engines. After laying waste to huge swaths of forest to build these siege weapons, the Nuokaenian forces led a brutal and barbaric campaign of destruction, genocide and looting against any Drunathein that came between them and Hallesoll. Tens of thousands of Drunathein were butchered in the Nuokaenian's pathway to reclaiming their homeland.

The Siege of Hallesoll
As the Nuokaenian forces arrived at the walls of Hallesoll, the Drunathein defenders quickly made preparations to evacuate the citizenry, with huge amounts fleeing to the city of Hallejolein